A Government-Funded Tour of Central and South America in 1939 That Never Came to Be

Mike Brendel's interesting touring plan.

I have in my possession a copy of a letter where the Hungarian pro wrestler Mike Brendel invites the Bulgarian pro wrestler Dan Koloff to go on a big wrestling tour of Central and South America in late 1939 heading into 1940. In the letter Brendel explains how this tour came to be. It's all quite interesting, especially given Brendel's claim that the tour was going be arranged with government money, essentially. Here is the letter.

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Paris,
November 7, 1939

... While I was in Spain a met a very prominent person there and have since seen him a lot here in Paris. He has a lot of influence through his father, who was a minister in Spain and is very well-known among the Spanish people and other Spanish speaking people. He is well-known at the different Consulates and has made arrangements to promote wrestling in Cuba, Saint-Domingue, Venezuela and other Central and South American countries. I have been to the Consulates myself and talked with them to find out the facts about the cases and they tell me that everything is all right for wrestling and further that we will make a lot of money. This Spanish fellow had to leave Spain and of course does not have money, but he assures me that we can get money when we get there and can arrange for visas and tickets for all the wrestlers and that the Government will pay for all this. The Consulates tell me this too.

What he wants is for me to go with him and start the publicity and help him arrange the business, because he really doesn't know that end of it. He says we will start in Saint-Domingue, stay there for two months then go to Cuba, stay there as long as the business is good, etc. Just change from one place to another and there are a lot of countries and Independent Islands in that part of the world. He has arranged his way and my visa and is just waiting now for the day of departure, but before I go I want to be sure of some wrestlers.

Karolyi will come. Gardiazabal is already in South America and so is Ulsemer and I am just wondering if you could wrestle, or would you be interested in coming along. Can you get Konstantinoff and Arif. If you will go this is what I would prefer. You come here to Paris and I will arrange your visa and we will go together, from there we can arrange visas and tickets and send for the men as soon as we get there. If you don't want to go will you talk to the other two men and ask them to send their pictures and information to this address (Mr. Abarrategui, Lista de Correos, St. Domingue) giving correct name, age, date of birth and correct address so I can send them their ticket and visa...

Mike Brendel,
44 Rue des Poissonniers
Paris 18e, France

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That said, as far as I'm aware this tour never came to be.

And of course, the Karolyi mentioned in the letter is Hungarian wrestler Stan Karolyi. Gardiazabal is the Spanish wrestler Pablo Gardiazabal and Ulsemer is the French wrestler Charles Ulsemer. Konstantinoff is Peter Konstantinoff and Arif is Todor Bankoff - they were two of Koloff's Bulgarian proteges.

Mike Brendel

The Hungarian Mike Brendel (real name Mihaly Orgovanyi) had a long pro wrestling career that spanned from the early 1930s through the early 1950s. He did work in the United States and Canada for a few years too, but most of his career was spent in Europe. He was particularly popular in Spain where he won a World Catch-as-catch-can Championship tournament in 1936 and the European Middleweight Championship in 1950.